Snowbound

I admit, the hour it took to get the little ones bundled up (and myself)... I was in a foul mood by the time we got outside.
But the fun of snow quickly got my mood back in line.



I didn't take many photos because someone had a hard time walking and needed my assistance.



Daniel was so bundled up, it made me laugh.
His amusement with the snow was short lived.
But when it was time to go in (because he was unhappy), he pitched a huge fit, not wanting to go inside.
As soon as I took his many layers off, I put him in his crib, still pitching a fit.
He is now very much snoozing.



We haven't had a snow this nice since Isaac was a baby. It is perfect sledding snow.
The kids started out on Miss Deb's driveway (the one Daniel rolls all the balls down).
Then we headed to the steep hill behind our house at the City Club... didn't take the camera there.
But I got in on the action and sledded down a couple times.



Poor Kristin. She couldn't sleep last night, and I have been treating her fever.
She feels okay when the fever is gone.
Then, I discovered her ear was oozing gunk, and she complained of pain.
Did you know that one can get swimmer's ear from the bathtub?
Noah is going to pick up medicine soon, thanks to our neighbor with a Jeep...
oh, and yes, it is SO nice to be friends with our doctor. Yay, Dr. Ben!



But, I want to end with telling you about the red lobster claw mittens Kristin is wearing.
Nanut brought them last time she visited, I believe they were Aunt Dewey's.
I LOVE these!
They cover up gloves, and keep everything dry and warm. The velcro keeps them from slipping.
I want at least 3 more pairs for future snows!
Oh, and the Columbia coat with matching snow bib was bought at Goodwill for $13.00.
They were like new, and retail for $100 new. Goodwill can't be beat!

20 Degrees.

I love how weather in North Carolina in so schizophrenic. Today, our yard looks like this:



We have about 8 inches right now, and sleet is still coming down. More than predicted, and for some reason, our small city has gotten more than surrounding areas.



The kids are happy. And they are bugging us to go out in the cold.



We are putting Isaac to work.



In a little while, we will be bundling up the crew and hitting the sledding hills.
It will be Daniel's first time to play in snow.
I might last 5 minutes...
Hopefully, more photos to come.

Sixty Degrees.

Yesterday, it was 60 degrees outside in the afternoon.
A short lived 60 degrees, as there are 2 inches of snow on the ground, increasing by the minute.



We took advantage of the warmth, and headed outdoors.



Lauralyn received a new bike for her birthday last week.
She outgrew her old bike.
Noah replaced the worn out back tire, and now Kristin has a "new" bike, too.



Kristin is learning to peddle the bike.
Steering is not even on her radar yet.



Speaking of Kristin...



...guess who is EXTREMELY grumpy when she wakes up from a nap.
So much so, I try to keep her awake all day.



Grumpiness is temporarily cured by going on a wagon ride for two.



Daniel would prefer to kick a ball down the street and run after it.
Or roll all 20 of our balls down Miss Deb's mountain of a driveway which is next to ours.
What a knucklehead.



I tried to direct his energy to something more useful.
I told him I wasn't paying him 'cause the driveway didn't need raking.
He protested.



Isaac kept busy by making a beautiful creation (or mess).
I believe it was going to be a deer stand.



He makes my heart melt by flashing a grin, even if he is making my front yard look like we belong in a trailer park.



Our eldest child remains to be the easiest of the bunch.
She's 11 years old.
She may run off for an hour here or there.
But she never pitches tantrums, and she rarely talks back.

Sad Statistics

Isaiah 1:17
Learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.

Sorry, folks. I gotta get this off my chest. I'll try not to make it long winded, but I make no promises.

Did you know that according to Mission Frontiers, there are approximately 800 million people in the world who have been born again into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? In addition, there are 1.37 billion who consider themselves Christians because they come from a Christian culture. And according to ABCnews.com, 83% of Americans identify themselves as Christians, and 37% of all Christians [in the U.S.] describe themselves as born-again or evangelical. As of today, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates there are 308,572,535 people in our great country. Using my rusty math skills, that means 94,762,625.5 people in the WEALTHIEST country in the world are born again Christians.

According to Jason Kavocs with The ABBA Fund, the are approximately "40-50 million orphans worldwide are adoptable or would be best cared for through adoption." Additionally he states, "In the US there are approximately 500,000 children in foster care (Based on data submitted by states as of January 16, 2008)...130,000 of those children in foster care are waiting and available for adoption. Children waiting to be adopted include children with a goal of adoption and/or whose parental rights have been terminated. Approximately 51,000 children are adopted from the foster system each year. That leaves 79,000 children annually in the US needing an adoptive family."

Back to the math!

WORLDWIDE: if roughly 6% of born again Christians adopted ONE child, there would be almost no orphans in the world.

In the U.S. (remember, the rich folks): if 0.14% of born again Christians in the United States adopted a child from foster care each year, there would be NO waiting children in our foster care system.

That is a fourteenth of ONE PERCENT of born again Americans. This breaks my heart! There is no excuse. So often I have heard folks say, "I'm not called to adopt." And in their case, that may be true. But how can it be possible for 99.9% of "wealthy" born again Christians NOT be called to adopt??? To top it off, it is FREE to adopt a child from the foster care system, and the government often times will provide medical and monthly financial assistence for children adopted through the system. Older children adopted get their college tuition paid for through the government.

Please know, I am not condemning people who have never adopted, and have no plans of adoption. I simply wanted the statistics to be known. I am but one person, and as Noah often reminds me, we can't save them all. But I can give one child a home. I can make the difference in one child's life. For an orphan in a third world country it can be the difference between life and death. For an orphan in the U.S. it is the difference between having a stable, loving home, or growing up without experiencing the love of a family. I beg you to prayerfully consider... what has God called you to? And if it is not adoption, how can you help care for the children who so desperately need a family?

Matthew 25: 45
"Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of the least of these, you did it unto Me."

Quick book review and thoughts on adoption.

I'm implementing new Haut House House Rules... stolen directly from A Sane Woman's Guide to Raising a Large Family by Mary Ostyn:

1. Be respectful to your parents.
2. Be kind to each other.
3. Work hard without complaining.

I like these because they are scripture based, but shortened for quick reference. The above mentioned book is fairly good. The first half of the book was too much common sense concepts that really wasn't helpful for me... but the second half has several gems of advice, so it was well worth the read. I especially liked the chapters on raising "likeable" kids, encouraging sibling friendships, and celebrating each child.

Now I am going to finish reading, What It Means to Raise a Child with Southern Manners by Cecilia Budd Grimes. It's a little book, so maybe I'll finish in 2 weeks instead of 8 weeks like the last book :-)

.................................................

I have adoption on my brain a lot lately. Waiting for our next foster baby to be placed in our arms, keeps me excited with the anticipation. I swear 90% of the women I know among my peers are expecting! Babies are poppin' out left and right, and I'm ready for one to land in my arms... figuratively speaking of course, so Jessica, don't go into labor while I'm around.

Daniel is almost 20 months old. The biggest age gap with our 4 kids is between Lauralyn and Kristin... 23 months. It feels very natural for a new baby to come along in the near future. There has been a lull in placements at our local DSS. I know that there are at least two other foster families hoping to be placed with a baby, and since we have 4 kids and a recent adoption, my guess is we are not at the top of the list to call. But "baby booms" happen in the DSS world, so it is only a matter of time before we get the call.

Thinking about adoption, makes me dream about the future. What will our family look like in 10 years? Twenty years? I know most people look forward to eventually having an empty nest. I honestly can't imagine. Just like some people continue working well into their golden years (by choice), I see myself always being an "active" mother. I hope my kids grow up and move out to become outstanding citizens, start families of their own, follow the plan God has for them. That is the point of parenting... to raise responsible adults, and send them out to contribute to society. But that doesn't mean I have to retire from "active mothering"...there are so many children who NEED a home and parents to love them. Whether it be through foster care, or adoption, I hope to keep our house filled with the laughter of children well into our future.

If you have wondered why I am passionate about adoption, my friend and former assistant pastor, David McNeely has great thoughts on the topic... read them here. He defines adoption: "Adoption is simply a loving choice to expand your family to make room for a child who needs to be included. The other choice is to have an orphan remain an orphan."

31 Things...before I turn 31

Homeschool Update

Isaac is over half-way through his first grade year! I have decided to focus primarily on reading, phonics/grammar, and math. If he is being cooperative and focused (not easy for him), he can complete his work in 2 hours. It usually takes him more like 3 hours. He does a math lesson and a phonics lesson, both using Horizons textbooks. I like the math book better than the grammar, but I can adapt the grammar lessons to my liking, so it works alright for the time being. He works in those two books 5 days a week for the most part. Next year, I will start him with Sequential Spelling and Writing With Ease to broaden his language arts.

On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, Isaac also does a lesson out of his Draw Write Now book. I cannot express how much I LOVE this series of books. We have the set of 8 books and he is now on book #4 which focuses on the polar regions, the arctic, and the antarctic. Each lesson has four sentences of copy work which I have him read out loud twice before doing the copying. Then, there is a drawing exercise that has step by step instructions. This not only aides in learning how to draw, but improves hand eye coordination and pencil control.



The bunny trails are great with this series and which is how I am teaching basic science and history this year. Today, I pulled out my Usborne Encyclopedia of World Geography, as we discussed the differences between the arctic and Antarctica, how the earth rotates, and the basic concept of gravity. It was a short 10 minute discussion, but he was interested and was able to articulate several great questions. This works well for us because otherwise he will NOT retain the information if he has no interest.

For second grade, I want to also add Building Thinking Skills Book 1, as well as The Story of the World Volume 1 in audio book format so I can play it while Isaac plays with Play-doh or colors... I have read that children who have a hard time listening, can listen better if their hands are busy.

When Isaac is fluent in his reading skills, I will incorperate a science curriculum that I have already purchased (Apolgia elementary text books... I have 4 of them already, and really like what I have seen). For now, I know Isaac will not retain the information, and we will both get frustrated. Once he is older, I think it will be great.

Currently, all the kids are in the Community Bible Study children's program on Thursday mornings, and the older two participate in Sunday school and a Wednesday evening Children Desiring God program at our church. I have been pleased with using this for our Bible, and will continue down this path in the future. Thankfully, CBS has a great homeschool program, complete with weekly "homework" for those in 2nd grade and higher.

Isaac and Lauralyn are in a homeschool art class, which has been great. I am considering putting Isaac in some other homeschool classes next year, as there are science, music, and spanish offered locally. But I am not sure if this will simply overwelm our schedule... and defeat the purpose of HOME school. Even though the classes are once per week, I am undecided at this point. I know I would like to invest in the Rosetta Stone Spanish curriculum eventually, but it has a hefty pricetag of around $500! I have heard rave reviews, though.

Lauralyn has been learning with basic kindergarten workbooks and I am slowly teaching her to read with Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. I like the book alright (I used it with Isaac), but I think there must be something better out there. She is doing awesome, and would probably be reading on a 1st grade level if I was consistent... I have failed her in this. But, she just turned 5 so I am not too worried about it, and I know she will pick it up over the next year. I will be ordering two books to see if I prefer their approach... The Reading Lesson Book and Phonics Pathways.

In mid-July, we will be starting the new school year, as I will be trying our own school schedule that is somewhat of a year-round school, adapted to fit our lives. Lauralyn will officially be in kindergarten and I will be homeschooling TWO kids at two different levels! All while I juggle the little ones and keep the house from being a total mess. I think it will be okay... thankfully, Lauralyn is a quick study, and eager to learn.

Extra-curricular activities are going to need to be limited in the future. One activity per kid (not including art)... and Daniel won't get an "activity" until he is 3. I believe gymnastics, as much as the girls love it, will need to be dropped. Lauralyn wants to continue with ballet, and Kristin will be old enough for "creative movement," at the same dance studio. Isaac's activities tend to be seasonal: baseball this spring, followed by swimteam (required by mommy as a life saving skill), and possibly soccer in the fall.

I am always looking for great books or creative suggestions when it comes to educating my kids. Feel free to share anything you have found to be a big help!

Love.

I sure love this little boy.
He is not a baby.
He is practically skipping the whole toddler "look."
Almost 20 months old, and I really, really love him.
Even when he drives me crazy.

A Girly Tea Party

Lauralyn will be turning 5 on Wednesday.
Since her birthday lands in the middle of the week, we opted for an early celebration.
She requested a tea party at Granny's house.





Six little girls had a wonderful time decorating jewelry boxes, drinking "tea," and being dainty and sweet.
The table was set with Lauralyn's new (incomplete) set of china... bought for $10 at Goodwill.





After Lauralyn opened her gifts,
the girls decided "Ring Around the Rosie" and "London Bridge" would be a good way to end the party.





What a contrast to the rough and tumble group of boys who had their own get together next door.
My house reaked of deer meat, testosterone, and dirt for two hours after the boys left.
It's interesting to see how God made girls and boys so different from one another.
Girls don't have to be taught to like pretty frilly things,
and boys don't have to be shown the joys of wrestling, guns, or dirt...

I wish I had photos of the boys, they had as much fun as the girls,
in their own hotdog eating, wii playing, ball throwing way. :-)



Happy 5th birthday (almost) to my sweet Lulu.

The New Trinity?

Heard from my son this evening: "Mom, I know who is in charge of the whole world. God. Jesus. And President Obama."

Good grief... what is his teacher teaching him? hahaha.

Another Good One

I saw this on MG's blog, and had to share... can't wait to see it!

#4

According to the random number generator on random.org, the winner is Bullfrogs and Butterflies! Mandy is awesome. She spends every Thursday morning with my sweet Kristin at CBS. Mandy, I so appreciate your willingness to teach those little ones about Jesus! It's the loveliest class because it's totally made of a diverse group of the cutest little girls. Not a single boy. Congrats, Mandy! I'll bring you your poster on Thursday!

How Rich Are You?

The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts.
1 Samuel 2:7

In the past year I have been overwhelmed by thinking about wealth. Money is all consuming in our world, and I have become increasingly bothered by the greed in our country (and at times in my own heart).



The other day I was in my favorite store (Goodwill), listening to the radio they have on the loud speakers. The D.J. was going through the list of celebrities who donated the most money in 2008. I was shocked. Not by the amount of money donated, but by the lack there of. People who are worth BILLIONS of dollars gave very little... Oprah was only #6 on the list, giving 2.4 million (a drop in the bucket, really). With all the money flooding Hollywood and other big cities, I was dumbfounded that a local from our hometown in po-dunk North Carolina was listed as #4-- Richard Childress (NASCAR team owner) gave 5 million to add a a pediatric trauma institute at the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.
Ecclesiastes 5:10

It is sickening to realize many of the horrors in our world could be greatly improved with a few large donations. Starvation. Clean water. Malaria. Sterile medical equipment. Doctors. Schools. Human trafficking. Homelessness. Just to list a few.



Compared to the rest of America, our family is considered middle class. I was startled to learn that even with our modest income, we are still in the top 1% of wealthiest people in the world. That means over 99% of people in the world have less than our family.

We have money for food which we store for days, sometimes having to throw it out because it goes bad. Four rooms in our house have a clean water source... and there are two more sources on the outside of our home... to water our plants. I have clothes in my closet I haven't worn for years. There are toys in my attic because I got annoyed picking them up and wanted them out of the way. Our cars are paid off. We have a new roof over our heads, literally. I am able to educate my children and have plenty of resources available to help. I don't have to be employed and my children don't have to help our family survive by entering the ranks of child labor, or food scavenging.

When I look at all that God has blessed me with, I am convicted of my rotten attitude. My irritation over the fact my washing machine won't fit MORE clothes in it. Wishing I had a newer, bigger, nicer van to drive. Wondering if we should go ahead and buy a nice flat screen television, even though our old tube televisions work just fine. Hoping for the money to re-do our gigantic bedroom, which is probably bigger than most of the "houses" in third world countries. Wondering how high our heat bill will be this month, trying to keep our house at a balmy 70 degrees.

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
Hebrews 13:5

You get the point. It is easy for me to point fingers at the Upper Class in America, and say "Shame on you, for not giving more." But that finger turns right back towards myself, knowing I'm in the top 1%. I may not be able to give a million dollars, but I can GIVE, and that is more than most people in the world are able to say.

According to Globalrichlist.com:

$8 could buy you 15 organic apples OR 25 fruit trees for farmers in Honduras to grow and sell fruit at their local market.

$30 could buy you an ER DVD Boxset OR a First Aid kit for a village in Haiti.

$73 could buy you a new mobile phone OR a new mobile health clinic to care for AIDS orphans in Uganda.

$2400 could buy you a second generation High Definition TV OR schooling for an entire generation of school children in an Angolan village.

If you are curious about how your wealth lines up with the rest of the world, go to Globalrichlist.com and simply enter you annual income for a quick answer. If you want to give more monetarily, I simply suggest researching the validity of any organization... one that I recommend is Compassion International.

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
Matthew 6:24

Sweetness.

Kristin might take a nap or two during the week. I usually only put her in the bed for a nap on days our mornings have been particularly busy. Some days, a chair will do.



But it just seems like yesterday I took these photos...





Why do babies grow so fast?!

I Love Technology (Always and Forever)*

We may be a bit behind the times... but I'm so happy that we can now Skype Grandfather and Nanut (Noah's folks) who reside in Texas. The kids were mesmerized the first time we tried, Daniel included.



For those that don't know about skype, it's basically a video conference courtesy of the web. The video is live (mostly). I LOVE technology. The only negative is there are no real hugs included.



Try not to drool over Noah's fancy new Mac Book Pro, it's one sexy computer, eh? ...benefits of his occupation. Happy skyping. :-)

*I really wanted to throw in a bunch of Napoleon Dynamite quotes throughout this post, but knowing that a.) I probably couldn't pull them off and b.) a majority of my audience may not know what the heck I was saying and be totally confused, I chose to leave them out. Great. Now I'm in the mood to watch Napoleon Dynamite. And make a dang quesadilla.

Some More Vintage Photos

Here are a few more photos that I retouched and will be putting on the "family" wall. Now if I could just push some of the walls back a few feet, my kitchen would be set... I don't think I've acquired that super power yet. Too, bad.

Mom Haut, I found these in a stack of photos you sent me many years ago. I will return the originals to you... I am printing copies for R. and N.


These are Noah's paternal Grandparents... I'm not sure of the date, but I'd guess mid-1940s.


Noah's maternal grandparents, I believe this is their wedding day? I think that would make the year 1948, as they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in 2008!


This is the first photo taken of Noah's parents together, about 38 years ago.

Giveaway!

For all by bloggy friends who liked the "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster I blogged about in my New Year's post, here's you chance to win one of your own! The one up for grabs is a smaller version of the one I have and in green... I believe it is 9 x 13 inches.



If you are interested in purchasing one in a larger size or different color, go to this Etsy site... the prices are reasonable. I will tell you I bought the "brick red" version, and it is more burgundy than shown on the screen, which works better for my kitchen anyhow.

Here's how to enter the giveaway:
I want to know a quote that inspires you, or simply brings a smile to your face. If you didn't notice, I love a good quote. Maybe it's a simple motto you try to live by. Or something clever or witty... or a basic truth eloquently written. Leave me a comment with the quote, and I will be randomly picking a winner on Sunday night (the 10th)!

What I've been doing...

In my effort to organize, I have decided to turn my corner cabinet into storage instead of a photo display case. I love how it looks closed up... nice and neat because the chaos is hidden behind the doors. AND I have a place to put our ever growing Play-doh tools.

The wall to the left of the cabinet is begging to be beautified, and I decided to go the route of a photo montage of old family photos. I am slowing putting it together and look forward to posting pics of the wall. Today, I retouched some of the old photos to be printed this week and hopefully hung up soon.

For fun these are some of the photos that will be on the wall:


My maternal grandparents, circa 1948.


Noah's maternal great-grandparents, circa 1924.


Noah's maternal grandparents circa 1948 (?).


My dad, circa early 1970s.


My dad, walking me down the isle in 2001.


My honey and I, in 2002 at my brother's wedding.